Folsom Lake level continues to rise.
Per the California Department of Water Resources, as of November 27, the lake stands at approximately 447,000 acre feet, about 3 times as much as last year at this time.
Although it is still 5% below the average for this time of year, note that usually we’re still losing water, with levels decreasing through late December. This year, the level has been growing since mid-October.
More at MyFolsom.com >>>
A woman was rescued Sunday night from a slippery spot on a steep bluff in Orangevale along the American River.
The 46-year-old woman was hoisted up the bluff by Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District firefighters who tied one end of a rope to an ambulance and hauled her up the slope.
The incident began about 10:30 p.m. Sunday when crews were dispatched to a home in nearby Fair Oaks for an overdose report. However, when firefighters and Sacramento County Sheriff’s deputies arrived, the overdose patient was gone.
After searching the neighborhood, they decided to pinpoint her location by using technology to receive a ping response from her cell phone, which was in her possession. Her location showed as the north side of the American River near Hazel Avenue, the location of the bluffs.
The Orangevale bluffs been the site of numerous rescues through the years as adventurers and drunken revelers have found themselves trapped on the steep hillside, unable to safely ascend or descend.
The arrival of the California Highway Patrol helicopter allowed its crew to use infrared technology to see the woman. She was on a ledge above the river in what was determined to be slippery terrain.
As fire crews responded, one of two deputies on the scene climbed down the slope to make sure the woman didn’t tumble further down the slope. She appeared to have rolled 70 feet before coming to a stop on the ledge, which was just a few feet above the cold waters of the river.
She was not responding to the words of the officers. Metro Fire rescuers, aided by Folsom Fire Department firefighters, began what is described as a “low angle rescue” using an ambulance as a rope anchor.
More at SacBee,com >>>
Tarantulas are out looking for love and hikers are being warned to look out for them.
Last weekend, while hiking along the Darington Trail near Folsom Lake, ABC10’s John Bartell came across one of those hairy arachnids. A group of mountain bikers warned John and his girlfriend, who were on the trail at the time, of a tarantula. A surprisingly large tarantula. If you listen closely to the video, you can hear John’s girlfriend warn him about picking up the eight-legged creature.
Wade Spencer, a member of the UC Davis Entomology Department, works with spiders. He said tarantulas can bite, but only if they are only aggressive when agitated. Though they have fangs and carry poison, tarantulas are not considered a serious threat to humans.
More at ABC10.com >>>
There was a little more action on Folsom Lake on Wednesday as motorboats were allowed to pick up speed once again on the water.
It’s been almost three months since the California Department of Parks and Recreation imposed a 5-mile-per-hour speed restriction for boaters on Folsom Lake. The lake level was too low to safely boat at higher speeds.
Alex Vitner frequents the lake and said, “I come frequently and it used to be a wide river, now it’s slowly filling the beaches and the sand is becoming beach again.”
This is definitely a welcome sight for drought stricken California. The National Weather Service recorded over a foot and a half of rainfall across northern California in the month of October. This helped to bring the Folsom Lake level up to 400 feet. That’s the magic number to bring down the speed restrictions on the lake, Higher water levels cover the hazards that pop up when the low water level falls below 400 feet.
The lake didn’t reach this level in the last rain season until late January.
More at CBSLocal.com >>>
California’s forests are in crisis. A lethal combination of drought, wildfires, warmer temperatures and pests has destroyed 66 million trees in the past six years.
Restoring our forests won’t be easy. Gov. Jerry Brown and the Legislature recognized the importance and magnitude of the task by allocating $40 million in cap-and-trade funds. At the same time, President Barack Obama visited Lake Tahoe to announce $29.5 million to improve forest health and decrease the threat of catastrophic wildfires.
They’re prioritizing these investments because they know that California’s forests are critical to our water supply. Forests help reduce erosion and recharge aquifers.
Government funding is vital, but it’s not enough. We need innovative thinking and support from private partners with resources and expertise, such as a recently launched effort in the Sierra Nevada, one of the most important sources of water for drought-stricken California.
More at SacBee.com >>
A grass fire that burned an estimated 173 acres along the American River Parkway and prompted the evacuation of Cal Expo on Thursday was caused by “human activity,” according to fire investigators.
A statement released Friday by the Sacramento Fire Department said investigators “cannot state whether the blaze was accidentally or intentionally set.”
Sacramento Fire Department spokesman Chris Harvey said in an interview that there are “homeless camps up and down the American River Parkway,” but the exact cause of the fire has not been pinpointed.
“They’re still interviewing witnesses. It’s very difficult right now to tell how it started,” Harvey said.
Harvey said fire units were dispatched at 1:13 p.m. Thursday, with a second alarm sounded shortly thereafter as the blaze spread quickly amid dry grass and breezy conditions.
At the height of the fire, officials said more than 30 engines and 130 firefighters were involved. Equipment on the scene included bulldozers and helicopters.
An unidentified Sacramento firefighter from Engine 19 showed symptoms of excessive smoke inhalation while battling the flames. He was taken to an area hospital, where he was treated Thursday night and released.
Cal Expo spokeswoman Sabrina Rodriguez said two events – an RV show and rental housing association conference – were being held on the venue grounds and had to shut down about 2 p.m. Thursday due to the fire. Rodriguez said event participants and staff members left the property. Cal Expo also moved its monorail trains as the fire was burning near the monorail barn.
Jim Lofgren, executive director of the Rental Housing Association of the Sacramento Valley, said about 1,000 people attending the association’s annual one-day conference were directed to leave Cal Expo.
The American River Parkway was closed Thursday afternoon as firefighters, trucks and heavy equipment moved into the area. Park rangers used loudspeakers to announce that the parkway was now off limits. The bike trail was reopened Friday morning.
Harvey said that as the fire spread eastward, “there was a possibility of neighborhood evacuations” along the west side of the Howe Avenue corridor south of Arden Way. However, evacuations were called off when the eastward spread of the fire was stopped near Ethan Way.
Harvey said overhead power lines in the area began arcing due to high flames and heat, and the Sacramento Municipal Utility District turned off the lines. Nearby residents as well as some homes in Davis and West Sacramento reported power surges and some power loss during the fire, Harvey said.
Firefighters also had to deal with spot fires as winds blew embers into dry grass bordering the path of the main fire.
More at SacBee.com >>>
More than one thousand volunteers in the Sierra Nevada Region helped pull 12 tons of trash from rivers, lakes, and streams on Saturday.
The event was all a part of the 8th annual Great Sierra River Cleanup.
Estefan Galvan, 25, is a diver with seven years experience who helped cleanup Saturday.
“Diving is a whole different world. It’s an entirely different world,” Galvan said. “When you get under water it’s a completely different feel, your away from everything at the surface.”
Galvan joined a crew of a dozen divers in Folsom, California who pulled several items from the American River.
“Our main focus is going to be under the cliff diving spots and under the bridges where people tend to be looking over the edges or jumping off or throwing things over,” Galvan said.
The group pulled a bicycle, fishing rod, cans, glass, anchors and more from the American River.
More at ABC10.com >>>
Sacramento firefighters kept an overnight vigil on the American River Parkway fire that blanketed parts of Sacramento in smoke and ash Thursday evening.
Firefighters contained the blaze at around 176 acres, but continued to mop up hot spots that smoldered Friday morning.
Under a full moon, embers rained down from trees left smoldering in the blackened area behind Cal Expo.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, though the origin did appear to be near a homeless camp, according to the fire department’s spokesman.
The evacuation order at Cal Expo was lifted after an estimated 1,000 people were asked to leave the grounds Thursday afternoon.
More at KCRA.com >>>
UPDATE 6:16 p.m.: Crews with the Sacramento Fire Department have contained a grass fire that burned 175 acres on the American River Parkway near Cal Expo Thursday. The blazed prompted officials to close the bike trail for evening commuters.
As of 6:24 p.m., crews are mopping up and will continue to clean up through the night. Officials say there are multiple fires still burning within the perimeter of the blaze.
UPDATE 3:15 p.m.: The Sacramento Fire Department is fighting a two-alarm fire between Cal Expo and the American River bike trail Thursday afternoon.
Chris Harvey is with the department. He says the winds moved the fire fairly quickly.
“Along the bike trail there, it’s relatively flat and the fuels are more like shin-high to waist-high fuels,” says Harvey. “But, once the wind started blowing it to the north, it started getting into some of these taller cottonwoods and the star thistle and then the fire really takes off.”
Cal Expo employees and people who live at the stables were evacuated.
Park rangers evacuated the homeless camps in the area.
One person was treated for smoke inhalation.
No cause has been identified. This is the third fire in the area in the last 48 hours.
Firefighters will be mopping up for several hours.
UPDATE: Sacramento Fire officials say the blaze at American River Parkway continues to burn Thursday afternoon.
Helicopters have been unable to drop water close to the fire due to power lines in the area.
Some homeless people living on the parkway have been evacuated. Cal Expo employees and residents nearby have also been evacuated.
Officials say two fires have been started in the area within the last 58 hours.
One person was treated for smoke inhalation.
More at CapRadio.org >>>